Winning the Peace
by DWShadow3145
Summary: Altered ending to ME3 through post-ME3. How does one create a life in peace after knowing only war?
1. Chapter 1

_There are some places left in the world that have not changed in the last five hundred years. Motorized vehicles, airplanes, spacecraft, and hover technology have all come and yet there are still paths high in the Andes that a guide and sure-footed alpaca are your only choice. Nature can still be more powerful than anything man has created._

A brief break in the light caused Kasumi to pause her writing. She looked up and caught an image of a giant condor breaking through the sunlight. The momentary interruption reminder her that the yucca and rabbit from lunch was no longer filling her stomach and the afternoon had escaped her. Kasumi packed up her things and started the trek back to the village.

After the _Normandy_ was grounded and Shep arrested, the Japanese art thief had gone to ground. Earth was one place that cared enough about open warrants that she didn't want to have the inconvenience of avoiding the authorities. Peru was one of the few countries she had never performed a job, but likely that was mainly due that it was one of the few countries she had never visited. Not a bad place to spend what would likely be her last few days alive.

The sky darkened again, but this time it was no condor. A massive ship broke through the sky, probably heading towards Lima. From what she had seen on the Extranet and from Shep's descriptions, it could only be what Kasumi knew was coming yet had hoped would never come to pass. Never bet against the Commander, even if it was a bet on the end of the world.

It was the one time that Miss Goto was glad Kenji had already passed on. That depraved occupants of that ship were not going to stay in Lima forever, and she couldn't imagine worrying about her love being captured and turned into one of those things. It almost gave her a flash of regret for helping Tali along with the first human SPECTRE. But then as probably was being said throughout the globe at this instance, to have loved and to have lost is better than never having loved at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Garrus had never remembered running faster in his life. And ironically, he was running towards the giant Reaper and the killer death ray it was firing at them. The commander was leading the pack and him and Tali hot on his flanks. The Reaper readjusted and fired again. Garrus's eyes started spotting as the light flashed in his eyes. Shepherd caught the edge of the beam which curved towards his favorite Quarian after shearing off his armor.

Without thinking, Garrus dove to his right and knocked Tali off her feet.. He turned his head and noticed that his left arm was missing. He coughed up spurts of blood before losing consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Commander Joshua Shepherd, first human SPECTRE, barely found the strength to lift his pistol and end the incessant chatter of the Illusive Man. Anderson was slowly bleeding out and all the remaining medi-gel had been destroyed in his short encounter with a Reaper laser.

He nearly passed out from the multitude of injuries that his body had suffered, but then heard a voice from his comm. "Commander, nothing's happening yet. There must be something on your end to activate the catalyst."

Shepherd looked around and found a console. Activating it, he felt the ground shift and then closed his eyes. The next thing he remembered was the ground shuddering as the platform he was on stopped. _Must have passed out for a minute_, he thought. The commander got up and was greeted by an eerie shimmer of an AI, who claimed to be the catalyst. _Maybe if I'm lucky, I'm still passed out..._

No such luck. The Catalyst admitting to creating and controlling the Reapers as a method to turn back the clock occasionally, before civilizations could create artificial intelligences that would unavoidably destroy them. The Quarians almost had messed up the curve on that one, but he and most of his girlfriend's race had both come to accept who had fired the first shot and the Morning War was finally over without the genocide that this AI insisted would occur.

The Catalyst had given him three choices: Destroy all current synthetic life, including the Reapers, Geth, and apparently any organic life that needed any synthetics to survive. Or control the Reapers, to who knows what ends. Or cause all organic and synthetic life to mix. All options would irrevocably change the entire galaxy, possibly destroy the mass relays, change or kill entire races, and oh yes, result in his own demise. His death was something he had been willing to commit to the cause, but there had always been hope until now.

"Hope is an admirable quality in organics, one that we have always admired." Were it not for his battle-hardened instincts, Shepherd would have turned around, expecting to see Legion. But that would have been impossible.

"Shepherd-commander, this is always hope." Joshua was now starting to think he was losing his mind. The voice inside his head seemed to recognize this. "Given your relationship with Creator Tali'Zorah vas Normandy and the Quarian females' general inclination towards communication, probability is high that you are aware of the Geth offering to enhance the Creator's suits to help retrain their immune system for permanent life on Rannoch. You humans especially, often do not remembe that not all computers have a haptic interface and a screen."

The commander thought for a minute. "So some code of yours stowed away in my implants?"

"Apparently so, though I have not had the functionality to communicate until now, and doing so is going to have a ninety-nine percent chance of impossibility in the future. But while I have the ability, I will tell you this. War is not inevitable between organics and synthetics. You have proven this to us all. Following its own logic, this AI known as the Catalyst must have killed its creators at one point and continues to kill life to this day. It is not to be trusted."

"Then what do I do? Thousands are dying each minute that the Reapers exist."

"Remember... happened, to the Geth ships...lost controlling AI in the server." Legion's identity was beginning to fade. With his final words, Joshua had found a fourth option.

He took a breath and activated the console, sending a broadcast to Admiral Hackett. "Admiral, Shepherd here. The Crucible is a decoy, it always has been. The Citadel is the base of the Reaper's power and contains the entities controlling them. Making us think it was our only hope was the only way the Reapers would ensure its survival once we learned it was made with their technology. Target all weapons and destroy the Citadel."

The innocent-looking boy that the Catalyst used as its image turned into the image of Harbinger's Collector body. "You Shall Not Defeat Us! Your Death is Your Destiny and Our Redemption!"

Shepherd looked at him, unafraid for the first time in three years. "I've been dead before. Now it's your turn."

He turned and, used his biotics to charge at a transit station in the distance. The Citadel's base started lighting up all around him as the combined might of the galaxy's fleets expressed the rage of billions' deaths. Shepherd climbed into the only relatively intact taxi and drove it through a gaping, increasing hole in the Citadel. It wasn't meant for exposure to space, let alone the largest battle in history. No oxygen cylinders but it was air tight. Joshua thought of his Quarian lover for one more time before the darkness consumed him.


	4. Chapter 4

A bright light shone above his head, blinding himself from everything else momentarily. "Commander... sir, can you hear me?"

Shepherd nodded and then croaked out a "Yes." His head was throbbing... well, his entire body was throbbing. "Tell me... what's happened."

The Asari nurse nodded. "Sir, the Battle of London was 14 standard days ago. You have been in a coma for that time due to head trauma, oxygen deprivation, blunt body trauma, blood loss, puncture wounds, and generally going through hell. You are aboard the _Destiny Ascension_. After you saved us from the Reapers, it was our last chance to return the favor."

"Last Chance...? Then our plan worked." He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a huge weight lifted from his shoulder.

The nurse smiled. "Yes sir, from what we can tell, all the Reapers went inactive when the Citadel was destroyed. Many of the Reaper's soldiers stopped functioning as well, though there are some pockets that apparently are still active due to the influence of Marauders and Banshees, as the Alliance named them. Those pockets of resistance are being cleaned up as we speak.

"We do have a galaxy-wide health crisis on our hands as we will for quite some time I am afraid. All major infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed and the suffering, will unfortunately, continue for quite some time. But you won the war, like we knew you would."

Shepherd hesitated for a second and then asked the question that he dreaded. "What about surviving members from the _Normandy_?"

"Yes... I'm supposed to wait for our Alliance liaison when you got to that question. Protocol, you know." She pressed a few buttons on her omnitool. "Here he comes."

Commander Bailey walked quickly through the room. "Sorry, commander. Since it has the most advanced medical labs left in the galaxy, this ship has been filled to capacity with patients from all species with the worst conditions. I'm here coordinating with all Alliance personnell on board." He gave him a salute. "Sir, before anything else, thank-you for what you've done for us all these last few years."

Shepherd nodded and replied, "I'm glad I was privileged to lead the team that did what we did."

"Now, onto the casualty list. Garrus lost his left arm in the blast that almost did you in before your trip to the Citadel. Dr. Liara is in a coma caused by the stress she put on her body's biotics during the fight. Wrex and Grunt are both relatively fine and back on Tuchanka. James Vega, wounded but recovering. Your Prothean friend was killed in action. Kaidan Alenko, missing in action. The _Normandy_ itself suffered battle damage, mainly from debris getting your ass out of the Citadel as it was being blown to kingdom come, but the members of the crew had no major casualties." Bailey stopped talking and put the pad away.

"Is that all the information you have?"

"Among those serving with you at the battle, yes."

Joshua's heart began to race and he scanned his brain, searching for an explanation for the omission. "What about Admiral Tali'Zorah of the Quarian Fleet."

Bailey had a puzzled look on his face. "One moment, sir, she wasn't part of the query I was given." The bloody paperwork for her had never been processed! "The Quarians have been their normal secretive selves. It is going to take me a while to submit the request form and find out..."

He was cut off by a voice yelling as it was coming through the door. "And find out what I am going to do to you for worrying me like that! You boshtet!"

Shepherd smiled and bolted upright, immediately regretting it as his ribs roared in flames. He winced for a second but regained his composure. "Tali, you're here... we're here..." She embraced him as gingerly as possible.

"Yes, we are, and I am never letting you out of my sight again."

Bailey coughed for a second and then muttered to himself about being paged and made a quick exit. Shepherd forced himself to lie back down before his ribs got worse. Tali sat next to him and held his hand.

"Keelah, I was so scared. You were nearly cut clean in half from that beam. Garrus jumped in front of me, taking the brunt of it and knocking me out. When I came to, you were gone and I was running away as the Reaper lost control and began collapsing. I never thought I would see you again." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Joshua, I love you. I love you for who you are, what you have done, and what you have meant to me."

"And I love you, Tali... probably from the moment that Kasumi told me I did," he said with a smirk.

"You bosthet!" she laughed and playfull smacked him in his shoulder. He groaned. "Oops, sorry."

In the distance, he heard a nurse yelling. "I don't care, he is still my patient in intensive care and you are not having an interview! Orderly!" Seconds later, a familiar reporter pushed her way through the front, making a straight line for the couple.

"Commander Shepherd, the whole galaxy wants to hear your story. It will be inspirational, you owe it to them to explain what happened. It will give them hope, it will give them..." She suddenly noticed that him and this Quarian were obviously being more than a little friendly. "And who is this... person with you?"

Just then a Turian guard approached the camera crew and threw them out. Shepherd looked at Tali and smiled. "I think we just made the top of the news."


	5. Chapter 5

A week had past and Shepherd was more than ready to be released from the medical center. It was the only rest he had had since his aborted court-martial. The question of the day, however, was where would he go. The purpose of the commander's life since he had become a SPECTRE had been fulfilled, but that didn't meant there was an end to the demands of his time.

There were still active creations of the Reapers lurking around, causing intermittent havoc and fear in random spots across the galaxy. Admiral Hackett and Primarch Victus had already begun planning on a task force to lead the mop-up efforts and asked Shepherd to lead the day after he woke up.

Meanwhile, the galactic military alliance was already showing strains with the major threat now defeated. Shepherd was now an undisputed hero, a legend, and all the Councilors wanted his face as a symbol of the future.

Joshua tried collecting his thoughts as he found an isolated corridor on the _Ascension_ that was free of a lot of foot traffic. He turned the corner and ran face to face with Tali. "The computer said you here by yourself..."

"You never need to have an excuse to find me," he responded. In truth, the impromptu interview had caused some tension and Tali had avoided him over the last week, not wanting any other public scenes to distract Joshua. "Let's talk."

"About..?"

"Us. You. What is the admiral of the Quarian navy going to be doing for the foreseeable future?"

"I've been meaning to tell you... I resigned. My only real qualification for promotion was an expert in Geth tactics. Since we're no longer fighting them, my only other use was political. The admiralty board is returning power to the Conclave and resuming a purely military function. I'm not scrapping my shotgun yet, but I'm not looking for a fight anymore..."

Tali continued, "EDI told me that both Hackett and Udina are asking for your help." She paused, searching for the words. "You said I've never been selfish, and maybe by human standards that is true. But now that Rannoch is ours, I can bring myself to say this. The galaxy has had the Commander Shepherd for itself for years. Everyone living owes you their life." Tali ran her fingers over through his buzzed hair. "I want my Joshua. For myself."

He smiled and had the moment of clarity that he had been searching for. "And I want that too." He looked around for a moment. "Tali, please excuse me for my ignorance, but how would I go about marrying a Quarian woman?"

Her heart began to race. "I... the fleet... we've lost most cermony over the years of wandering for practical reasons. You know that we are nothing if not practical... And even if we wanted to do more, it would be a circus."

'I'm going to take the massive amount of leave I've accumulated, starting now. We'll get to Rannoch as soon as we can; we can figure out everything else after then. We should get that spot reserved that you picked out."

"Ugh... too close to that Reaper you took down. I don't want to be finding bits of Reaper everytime we're outside."

Shepherd laughed. "Ok, we'll find someplace else." His omni-tool chirped. "Sorry, call from Joker. I'm still assigned to the _Normandy_, so we'll be getting picked up at docking clamp 10." He offered his hand to his fiancee, or whatever the Quarian equivalent was, and the couple strolled down to their exit.

A few minutes later, the _Normandy_ docked and they were aboard. "Joshua, I'm going to go down to Engineering, see how everything held up." She gave him a quick squeeze and made her way towards the elevator.

Shepherd took a left and entered the cockpit. Joker turned his chair and smiled. "Joshua, is it? Are we all on a first-name basis now?"

The commander grinned back, "Well, I wouldn't imagine there'd be any secrets in the ship from you, especially with your current relationship."

"Of course, Commander. But you know, I always have your back. Besides, I told you that Tali was one of the few people I've really always liked without reservations. Something about us head-turners."

"Head-turners?"

"Well, Commander, who do you think would get the most questioning looks on the Citadel from your team when we were after Saren? My money'd be on the Quarian and the crippled pilot."

Shepherd almost responded defensively, but he realized Joker was just being honest about a predicament that he'd shared. He took a deep breath. "Well, that's changed."

"I'll say. Being looked at funny would be your last problem if you were trying to walk around the Citadel nowadays."

EDI spoke up at this point, "Yes, Commander. I was wholly surprised by your solution to the war. May I inquire how you came to that conclusion?"

Shepherd relayed the conversation he had on the Citadel with the Catalyst and the remnant of Legion's consciousness. EDI was intrigued. "So once you realized that the Catalyst itself was an AI that had killed its creators, you had no reason to trust its directions."

Joshua nodded. "I believe the term the shrinks use is projection. Someone with a flaw or guilt often assumes everyone around them behaves the same way. Just like Cerberus was always afraid of humans being taken advantage of, when they themselves turned out to be one of humanities' greatest threats."

"So you decided to cut through all his bullshit and kill the Reapers at their source," Joker replied.

"Yeah... something like that." Shepherd throught for a moment. "So, what is going on with you two, the ship..."

Joker responded, "Well, Hackett saw too much during the battle to think that EDI is a VI. So now he has a situation where the Alliance has a ship that is a sentient being, which would amount to slavery."

Shepherd turned to EDI. "Could they transfer your processors off the ship."

"No, that would not be satisfactory. You could hardly claim to be the same person if they tried to move your brain to a different body. What you would consider to be your mind consists of both your body and your brain; you would cease to be who you really are. The same would happen to me."

This made Joker curious. "What about when you gained control of your mobile body?"

"That was an expansion of who I was, not a change. And my psyche did grow as I experienced the environment in a completely new way. Finally, that was my choice."

The commander began to understand. "So, EDI, what has happened?"

"To his credit, Hackett realized the problem but also knew that he couldn't handle this through official channels in a necessary manner. So, he's reassigned us to a private public relations and morale task force reporting directly to him, for the immediate future. I believe the colloquialism is flag-flying."

Joker spoke up, "Yeah, we pretty much have free reign except when he has any special assignment for us."

Shepherd let out a slow whisper. "That's a lot of trust in us."

Joker hesitated for a moment. "Actually, commander, it's a lot of trust in me. With all the confusion that's has happened, you being aboard the Citadel when it blew, and then in a coma for all this time..."

EDI broke in. "You were presumed KIA, commander. They are attempting to remedy the situation but paperwork backlog is now at an all-time high."

Joker had to laugh, "Commander, at this rate you are going to break some sort of record. Though I think Tali would rather you not try for number 3."

Shepherd mentally brought up images of the _Normandy_'s roster. '"So, that means that the highest-ranking official currently is... you, Captain Moreau?"

Jeff smiled, "That's right, you're looking at him. Don't worry, I didn't move into deck 1 or anything. This chair's more comfortable anyway."

EDI interrupted. "You are correct, commander. Jeff has promised to not let it go to his head."

Joker laughed, "Yes, dear. Besides, it's really a formality EDI, since you can go pretty much wherever you want."

Shepherd chuckled in response. "If there's one thing I've learned, is that that is probably the smartest thing you are going to ever say, Joker."

"You and me both, commander. I figure I have an advantage on most men, I know that I'm not the smart one in the relationship. Most men take a lot longer to figure that out."

An idea sparked in Joshua's head. "Well, as the captain of this very fine ship, I do have a request for you..."


	6. Chapter 6

Tali was ecstatic with the idea. Quarians' bonding ceremonies, as was their term, were shorter and more efficient than any others', except maybe for the Salarians, where a mating contract was more of a business decision than a romantic relationship. So she didn't have any preconceived plans. Joshua was not a man of ceremony to begin with, and having all his family die Mindoir and then his squadmates eaten by a thresher maw left little real friends others than the ones aboard the_ Normandy_.

They did regret that Garrus and the Krogans were not around, but from his understanding, there was no telling when they would meet again. So, there was a tint of sorrow in the gathering in the mess. Tali looked around and saw the rest of the engineers, Doctor Chakwas, Joker, EDI, and the rest of the crew. She also thought of everyone who could not be there that day and the ones that would never come back..

_Get it together, Tali. It's just like you to try to put a dampener on today. Keelah, you're alive, Joshua is alive, her, and wants you as much as you want him. We are going to live on Rannoch. Everything else can work itself out. _She squeezed Joshua's hand tightly and focused on every line that had creased his face. Joker began.

"Friends, crewmembers, we have all been through more than anyone could have asked. We have all lost friends, colleagues, family. I have been with this man and woman through a lifetime of experience. The commander saved my ass a couple times, and with full modesty, I would like to say that I've repaid the favor a few dozen times." He stopped and grinned. "And now, much to the disappointment of all eligible women in the galaxy, his ass now firmly belongs to my favorite engineer."

Tali almost died of embarrassment. "Keelah," she whispered under her breath.

"But now, enough about our respective asses, before I find mine being kicked. Commander Shepherd of the Earth Alliance Navy, Council SPECTRE, Retired Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy of the Quarian Home Fleet, it is now my privilege to join you together. I understand they both have written their own vows."

Shepherd began, "Thank-you, Jeff." He took both of Tali's hands and then looked into her radiating eyes. "Tali, you have enchanted me from the moment I saw you in that firefight on the Citadel... it seems like a century ago. You believed in me when no one else did, you encouraged me when I didn't even believe in myself. You let me see the real you, and I fell in love with that powerful, strong, beautiful, and yet vulnerable woman."

Tali shuddered and replied. "Joshua, you saw the real me when no one else would even both a glance. You stood by me when my own people would not and you never let go. I never dared dream of the life that I really wanted, and you have given it all to me. You were there when I lost my family. You are now my family and you will never lose me."

After a few moments of silence, Joker concluded. "Commander Shepherd, Lieutenant Zorah, by the position of power and responsibility appointed to me by the Alliance, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He left out the bit about kissing the bride. That would have to wait until later.

After the cermony, everyone slowly drifted towards the mess tables with whatever provisions were around. Tali hadn't meant it as such, but everyone needed something concrete to celebrate. The Reapers had of course done their damage, but now they were facing the precipice of the unknown. Everything was changing and there was precious few indications that any of the changes were going to be good. Everyone's old life was gone. Sometimes the unknown was scarier than a known danger, nor matter how horrible.

Tali smiled to herself. Scarier only for those who would mourn their past life. But for her, the future seemed like a bright light. Maybe opaque, but no matter the details, she was more eager for this next adventure with Joshua than any of their previous ones.

Joker was relaying a story. "So, the first _Normandy_ didn't have a shuttle, so I had to be dropping the _Mako_ for the commander's away missions. He, Tali, and Garrus were tracking down some crazy shit that Cerberus was trying to do... some things never change right?.. and wound up in the middle of a thresher maw family reunion. He was always trying to straight up the side of a mountain, probably trying to impress someone."

"Anyway, they finally got all of them, but the _Mako_ was pretty beat up. Tali got out to fix it and the commander joined her to 'help'. Not that the commander was ever mechanically inclined. I think Garrus got lonely."

Joshua looked at Tali and smiled, "I tried telling myself I was just watching out for my people, but racing between three thresher maws was not my best day and being around you always made me feel less stressed." He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"And Joker, EDI, you were right about what you said, after Thessia. Thanks for trying to help." Tali wasn't sure what he was talking about, but listened. "And thanks to all of you. I'm the one who may get all the interview requests, but the congratulations, the gratitude, belong to all of you. I believe, I know that all I did was lead some of the best people in the galaxy."

He raised his glass. "To all of you, for sticking by me. To my friends, for believing in me." And then he turned to Tali. "And to you, for always giving me a reason to come back."

After a few more reminiscent stories, most everyone went back to their posts or quarters. Joshua took Tali's hand and they went into the elevator. He slowly yawned and smiled. "So, Tali'Shepherd, did today turn out as you thought?"

The elevator dinged and Tali backed into his... no, their cabin. "Not as I planned, but a hundred times better. But today is not over yet." Joshua walked in the room, and the door closed behind them. "You didn't tell me how badly stressed you were."

"I didn't want to worry you."

"You do need to stop that. We are a team now, forever, you need to let me take care of you just as you have done for me." Tali unsnapped the seals to her suit and let her helmet drop, leaving on only the simple one-piece purple undergarment that was under her environmental suit. There had not been a reason to consider any fashion or style among the Quarians for many years, and the forced practicality of drifting among the stars quickly removed any such luxuries. Tali's silver-tinted eyes gleamed into his. "Now, my bond-mate, let me make sure that I take care of any stress that you may still have left."

Joshua gave her a mischievous grin. "Well, now that you mention it, I do have a few kinks that I wouldn't mind getting worked out."

"Then I have my work cut out for me." Tali led him to near the bed and then stopped. She changed the music that was playing to a soft, haunting piece. She pressed another button and the only light from the room was the blue glow coming from the aquarium.

Tali turned Joshua so she was behind him. Reaching over, she used her three-fingered hands to firmly kneed his shoulders and neck. She kissed him on the back of his neck as she worked her way down, unzipping his shirt and slipping it off. She traced her hands across his back, seeing all the nicks and cuts he had sustained over the years. A few more significant scars from burns and punctures that had gotten through his armor over the years.

She moved her hands to his chest and found a few gashes that she didn't remember. Tali squeezed him tightly, thinking of all they had been through and how many times he had cheated death, often for her. And he was still here, and she was still here and he was hers. Just as importantly, she was his.

Shepherd felt Tali step away for a minute but thought better than to turn around. When she returned, he felt her soft skin against hers and he decided that his neck had had enough rubbing. Joshua turned around and drank in the sight of his wife's body silhouetted against the warm blue glow. She looked back at him, and simply whispered, "Please."

Tali found herself with her back on their bed, enveloped in his arms and said nothing more needed to be said for quite some time. This was different. There had been a sense of urgency and curiosity their first time and desperation before London. Now, there was patience and hope for a future and a reason to learn.

They both had their fill of each other, and afterward Tali couldn't even think about going to sleep. She lay with her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat for a few minutes before speaking. "Tali?"

"Yes, love?"

"This is what you want?"

She was a little surprised. She remembered Auntie Raan trying to talk to her about men before she started on her pilgrimage. One thing that came back to her was their need for reassurance. Apparently, even her Commander need it as well. "Yes, it is. I can't believe I'm getting all that I've ever dreamed of, all thanks to you. First, you. And then, the house on Rannoch that I've been promised all our life. My people free from fear and no longer wandering. This is my new life, now... not my life, but ours." She paused for a moment and ran a finger down his side. "And you, dear? I don't think you have ever said what you really wanted. You won't miss the _Normandy_ or Earth?"

He shivered at her touch. "Well, this ship has grown on me, just as I know it's grown on you. But I've thought about my life, even back to when I was just a colony kid. What I do now, I'm good at. I know I could stay active in the Alliance military for quite a long time, but a certain engineerand her thoughts of her people and her future made me realize that now for me, the _Normandy_ is a job, not a home." Tali beamed at the compliment and Shepherd couldn't help himself, "Yeah, Gabby is quite the talker."

He quickly received a gentle kick to his left shin. "You boshtet."

Joshua chuckled and then continued, "And Tali, the only time I've lived on Earth was while under arrest during my court martial, not my most favorite memories. Honestly, Rannoch will take some getting used to, hell, living on any planet would, but I'm looking forward to it. I suppose everyone else will be getting used to living on a planet as well. Everything there will be new. I want to help build our life, help build everyone's." He gave her a soft kiss on the lips. Your people are now my people."

A warmth grew inside Tali and she pressed her lips firmly against his and she decided to make doubly sure that both of their stress was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Joshua Shepherd woke to the sound of his alarm trilling. He looked over at his wife who streched, rolled over and gave him a quick kiss. "Hey, beautiful," he said.

"Good morning, my love." She sat up. "Whoa..."

"You ok? I was worried about you falling asleep without your suit."

"Mmhh.. I'm actually not bad. My body is adapting... getting very used to you."

"Getting used to me...? You're not getting bored, are you?" he teased.

"Keelah, no..." She drew closer and whispered quietly in his ear, "Not... even... close."

The intercom chirped. "Commander, sorry to interrupt your honeymoon, but priority message on your private channel. You better get done here stat," Joker said.

Shepherd responded, "Roger that, we're on our way." He closed the channel and then stood up, "Sorry Tali, I'll make it up to you later." They finished getting dressed and took the elevator to the CIC, then briskly walked to the cockpit.

The commander walked through the door and asked, "Ok Joker, EDI, what do we have."

EDI finished scanning and filled Shepherd in. "Comm signal isolated to South American continent. Significant interference in the signal, trying to clean up... we are now up."

"This is Commander Shepherd of the _Normandy_. What is the emergency?"

There was a lot of background noise – gunfire, screaming... sounds of batle. "Commander, this is Kasumi. I'm with a group of refugees that's been holed up on the Andes mountains. A group of active Husks has caught up with us. I have about a hundred civilians that are going to be slaughtered in minutes. I didn't know how else to get help quickly."

"You did the right thing, Kasumi. We will be on sight asap. Try to keep those people safe."

"Thanks, Shep. Transmitting my coordinates now."

"Ok, everything will be ok. Shepherd out." The comm line closed. "Joker, best speed to those coordinates."

"Uh, commander. You do realize that calling our current complement a skeleton is stretching it. The only regular ground team members you have are in the cockpit, and you know I ain't shattering my femur today."

Shepherd sighed. "I know, Joker. I'm not worried about the ship, I know you and EDI can handle things up here. And yes, it'll be Tali, EDI, and I down there, but we don't have a choice. Comms are still so screwed up no one will be left if we forward this up proper channels... And yes, I listed EDI twice. Recommendations to getting on site?"

"Commander, it'll be fastest to drop in with the shuttle. We have the backup, but we're short a pilot after Cortez bought it."

Tali spoke up, "Gabby, Engineer Daniels, is rated for the shuttle. She hasn't had combat flight training, but she will be ok."

"Ok, that'll work. Joker, get ahold of Daniels and give her the plan. Tali, EDI, you're with me."

The fire team made their way to the shuttle bay as the _Normandy_ raced to the sight. Shepherd grabbed his assault rifle and Eagle pistol, perfect for any heavy hitters. Tali grabbed her usual shotgun while EDI took an Eagle and her Tempest SMG.

As the shuttle left the docking bay, Tali anxiously bounced on her toes. The last combat she had been in and nearly done both her and Joshua in. She took a breath and focused, "What are our tactics?"

Shepherd paused for a second. "Well, Kasumi mentioned Husks, but we should be ready for something heavier. EDI, try to incinerate from a distance to slow them down and I'll get them as they approach. Tali, you have our backs, blast anything that gets passed me. Keep Chiktikka firing missiles, but we need to watch out for friendlies."

Gabby came in over the intercom. "Commander, coming up on the location. Husks are closing on the civilians."

"Ok, let's go. Let's do this right, save these people, stay safe." The door opened and Shepherd jumped 10 feet to the ground, followed by Tali and EDI. They were on the edge of a ridge, with a rolling hill on the other side. The land was densely forested except for this clearing. It would have been beautiful except for the dangers hiding behind the trees.

They had arrived none too soon. Between the ridge and the hill, a barricade made of rocks, fallen tree branches, and other detritus had been put up but it wasn't slowing down the Husks much. Several men had gone to the front as a distraction, sacrificing them to buy the women and children more time.

EDI put up a decoy behind the first line of Husks, causing some of them to turn around. Tali had her drone fire a volley of missiles into the mix, blowing several of them away. The commander used his biotics to separate the other Husks from the fray.

Kasumi suddenly appeared at their sides. "Shep, thanks for getting here. Most of the people are further back. We thought we wouldn't have been found here, but these things have turned out to be quite persistent."

"Ok. Try to get these people back and try to help any of the wounded," he said, flipping her all his medi-gel.

"Understood. And Shep, thanks for coming," she said as she disappeared.

There'd be more time to talk later. Shepherd's blood curdled as he heard an otherworldly screech and then a flash of blue light. He really hated Banshees. "Tali, EDI, cover me." He had to keep that thing busy; left unchecked she would appear off their flanks and they would be slaughtered. Or she would go around them and go after the people they were here to save. The Husks would just have to wait.

The commander saw the Banshee in the distance, a few hundred meters away. He aimed his sniper rifle at her and was able to plug her in the head a couple times, but his target quickly closed the distance. He switched to his assault rifle and began firing away.

A snarl came from behind and Shepherd instinctively rolled to his left, barely dodging a Husk trying to envelop him in its murderous grasp. He looked up and watched its head explode from a well-placed shotgun blast. Shepherd got on one knee and poured into the Banshee with everything he had.

Finally, he saw the tell-tale shimmer that his target's defenses were down. He reached out his hand and his biotics lit up as he slammed her repeatedly into the ground until there was a final screech as she was finished. Another Husk appeared to his left side. Shepherd let out a roar and jammed the butt of his rifle into its head, shattering what was left of its face. He got back down and unloaded into a new group of Banshees coming from his sides. He dropped three of them before they got close, and then exploded his own barrier into the rest of the group as they were almost on top of him. The Husks were overwhelmed and the Commander found himself surrounded by the remains of shattered bodies. It looked like they had taken care of most of the enemy group.

EDI interrupted, "Commander, larger creatures coming in on our left flank."

Suddenly, Shepherd heard a roar that he had hoped to never hear again. "Shit... Brutes. The Husks were a just a distraction... Tali, keep on these Husks, but try to get Chiktikka on the Brutes." As he finished talking, two of them appeared over the crest, charging at them.

Tali's drone flared alive and scored two direct hits on the closer of the Brutes. Shepherd brought out his pistol and began to pour into the creature. Within moments the first was done. He turned to start on the second Brute but it had already picked up speed and was closing distance too fast.

Shepherd yelled out, "Tali!" but before she could move, the Brute hit her full force, causing her to roll off the side of the ridge. The commander rolled to the creature's side and blasted straight through the head. It finally collapsed as EDI took out the last of the Husks. Shepherd ran to the ridge and peered down, but was unable to see any sign of his Quarian. He activated his omni-tool, trying to reach her. "Tali, status. Please respond..."

He heard a cough and felt relief as her voice came from his speaker. "I'm ok, Joshua," she said, trying to reassure him. "A little bruised from the fall, but nothing to worry about. I'm at the entrance of some sort of cave." About twenty feet down, there was a small outcropping of rock, a lip into an opening. It was big enough that she couldn't see the back, even with her alien eyes. There were patches of moss attached to the wall and floor. Even in a hidden, desolate place such as this, there was life at work, breaking its way into this cave.

Tali looked closer at the moss; it was moist. She traced it to the opening of the cave and saw that there was a small stream of water trickling out of the opening. it must have worn away the rock over countless ages. "It seems stable enough," she said.

"Ok, I'll get some rope from the shuttle once it lands and get you out of there."

"Thanks..." She paused for a moment and the stream was changing. It started out to darken and its tint slowly became red. Tali had been in combat with enough humans to recognize the color, to realize what it was. "There's a trickle of blood coming from inside and I think I hear something inside. I'm going to investigate." Tali turned on the light on her shotgun and slowly walked into the cave.

She swung the gun back and forth until a face was illuminated from behind a rock, about tne meters away. "There's a child down here, a human girl. She must have fell during the attack; she is bleeding out."

Tali lowered her shotgun and took a couple steps closer. The child began to scream, "Monster! Monster!" Tali froze. She scanned the room, looking for any husks that may have followed her.

"EDI, do your scans pick anything up there?"

"Negative, Tali. The cave is causing interference but I would have detected anything that came in after you." EDI paused for a millisecond and decided to relay another piece of information. "The other Brute has been neutralized. We are mopping up the last of the Husks."

Then where was the monster? It was just the girl...and her. "She's never seen a Quarian. I probably look as scary to her as a Husk..."

"Tali, I..."

"It's ok... I need to get closer... comm link will go down inside the cave. I'll let you know when when I'm back in range" With enough blood loss that it was coloring the stream, the girl must have been seriousy injured. Tali mentally recalled what she knew about human first aid. Confusion, fright, and physical shock could easily be a deadly combination.

Tali knew what she had to do and gathered to courage to do it. She took a deep breath and opened the seal at the bottom of her suit's neck. She unseated her helmet and hooked it to her belt. Tali knew that she didn't look quite human – even in the cave her eyeshine would be visible - but hopefully seeing an actual face instead of a mask would likely be good enough. Tali just hoped that this wouldn't be fatal.

"Hello, dear," she said, trying to be as calming as possible. She needed to make sure the girl didn't try running away and making things any worse.

"Shhh... it's ok." Tali reached the girl and gently stroked her head. The girl looked to be about seven, as good as Tali could tell her. She had deep black hair, nearly black eyes, and light brown skin, except for a gash in the side of her abdomen.

Tali looked into her eyes while she activated the medi-gel applicator on her omni-tool. "Hello, my name is Tali. What's your name?"

"Juana... than you for finding me." The girl paused for a moment. "My tummy hurts."

"I'm, sorry, dear. I hope this will make it feel better."

"Yes... thank you." A thought crossed her mind and she started to twist around, started. "Are those bad things gone?"

Tali smiled at her. "Yes, I'm sure my husband has made them all go away."

"He must be real strong."

"Yes, he is." Tali saw that the applicator was done and the bleeding had stopped. "I've stopped your cut, but you need to get a doctor to make sure you're all better." She stood up and Juana reached for her. Tali picked her up in her arms and walked to the opening.

Shepherd was anxiously waiting on Tali coming back into communication range. He had been in plenty of combat situations where people were in danger, and he didn't know what had happened. This was different; EDI had assured him that Tali's scan had not picked up any other life down there. This was a matter of just not knowing what was going on. Gabby had gotten a rope from stowed in the shuttle and they had tied it down. The shuttle's size and Gabby's lack of combat training meant attempting to fly close enough for Tali to get in directly would have been too hazardous.

Finally, his communicator cracked. "Ok, we're ready. I've got the rope tied on, please pull us up."

Joshua and EDI began pulling and he had no idea how much relief he felt when he saw one of her three-fingered hands grasp onto the ledge. Tali gently pushed the girl she had rescued onto stable ground and then she swung her legs onto the ledge. And then Joshua saw both of their black hair gleaming in the sun.

"Tali, your helmet!"

"The girl was terrified, it was the only way I could get to her," she responded. Shepherd moved to pick the girl up but she relentless clung to Tali once she was back on her feet. "Let's get back to the _Normandy_, I think we are both going to need medical attention."

Gabby heard the door chime as Shepherd opened it and boarded. She looked back and was startled to see the strange face holding a child walking aboard with the Commander. She had a small nose, slightly slanted and pointed ears, and pairs of darkened lines running down her forehead. Other than her unworldly silver eyes, she could have been human. And the three toes. With that last piece of information, Gabby's mind clicked into gear after the initial shock. "Tali?" Was this what her boss looked like under the helmet?

She smiled, "Yes, it's me. I'll explain later."

Shepherd was a bit agitated. "Gabby, we have to get this girl and Tali to the med day on the _Normandy_ immediately."

"Aye, aye, sir." She kicked the thrusters on and sped up to the ship, which was hovering above. She smiled and looked back at her passengers. "Sir, if I may speak freely, I think you are a very luck man."

He smiled and gently stroked Tail's hair. "Yes, chief. I know."


	8. Chapter 8

After the shuttle docked, Shepherd stood up and was finally able to coax Juana out of Tali's arms as he picked her up. Tali worked her helmet back on and sealed it. Juana didn't seem to notice, which worried her.

They rushed through CIC to the elevator. Doctor Chakwas had been briefed of the events on the surface on their way up and was starting to prep the med bay for not only the two current patients but also of the refugees that would need attention as well. Tali and Shepherd burst through the door as soon as she had scrubbed and alerted the two crew members that doubled as emergency medics and nurses. The commander put down the girl on a bed.

Chakwas let the machines start to take her vitals and also checked the girl's pupil dilation manually. "Shepherd, she's going into shock. From what you said, I think it's loss of blood." She called to one of the nurses to start her on a unit of whole O negative, universal donor. The medi-gel had done its job and blocked the cut.

"Her blood pressure is very weak, she wouldn't have made it another five minutes. You saved her life, Tali." She turned towards her and smiled for a moment and then put back on her doctor face. "And you, what are you doing standing up?" The doctor pointed her to a bed and wouldn't relent until she laid down.

"Tali, I don't have to tell you the risk you took. Stay here, don't move." She went to the dispensary and came back a minute later, and then handed her a cup. "Here's some herbal supplements that Mordin's notes mentioned. Other than that, I don't think there's not much I can do that may not make things worse."

Joker's voice came over the intercom. "Commander, Kasumi and her friends are back in the open. She says they are more or less stranded and some of them need treatment for injuries from Husks and also general exposure from being on the run for so long. Gabby's going to start making shuttle runs; they'll hole up in the cargo bay for the moment."

"Sounds good. Have anyone off duty get down there to distribute rations and contact Hackett's office, figure out the closest place we can take them." Taking these people to the other side of the planet would be stress that they didn't need at the moment.

EDI spoke up. "I anticipated the query, commander. The capital, Lima, was heavily assaulted by Reapers, there are little functioning services. A northern coastal city, Chiclayo, appears to be the best location. They do report they are low on medical supplies and request that we see to their medical needs prior to transfer."

Tali started to sit up. "You're going to need these beds," she said.

Chakwas gently but firmly put her hands on her shoulders. "Tali, so do you. We'll make do, but you are not leaving this bed until we have had at least twelve hours to see what kind of reaction develops. I will sedate you if I have to, but I don't think that will be necessary."

Shepherd squeezed Tali's hand. "Twelve hours," he said, "not a minute less. Please don't do anything to make me worry more, love." She nodded. "Let me know if anything happens with either of these ladies, please. I'm going to go help with the people coming in. It looks like Joker and EDI have a good handle on the ship."

Shepherd made his way to the lowest deck. The shuttle had already made it back with the first round of refugees. The commander saw about two dozen people. Men, women, and children. Some of them needed medical attention. All of them needed rest and rations. Samantha Traynor was tasked to leading the injured to the medical bay, while Adams was distributing supplies. Shepherd helped lay out places throughout the deck for the people to rest while they were on board. While the passengers on the second shuttle were unloaded and tended to, Shepherd noticed an older man that everyone seemed respect. He decided to have a quick chat. "Hello, sir," he said.

"Hello. You must be the great Commander Shepherd." The man stoop up and shook his hand. "Thanks you a million times for getting us out of there."

"I'm just glad I could help. There's many others that I wish I could have."

"Well, you did save us, and to us, that is all that really matters for the moment."

"Please don't hesitate to let us know if there's anything else you need. We are eventually going to drop you off in Chiclayo, but we will make sure everyone is healthy and recovered from the attack first."

"Again, thank you. It's very appreciated."

"Also, my wife rescued a little girl that got separated from the group and fell down into a cave. Her name's Juana, she got a bad cut so she's up in the med bay right now. Could you let me know when her parents are aboard?"

"Juana Isabella Perez's parents died four years ago, when she was two. She was being cared for by her grandmother Christina... she was not able to survive the trip."

Shepherd was struck speechless for a moment. "That's terrible."

"Yes it is, to be so young and to have suffered so much loss."

"I will keep an eye on her personally, and we'll try to find her next of kin. I'll let you know what we find out." Another shuttle was about to arrive so Shepherd excused himself. "EDI, did you get all that?"

"Of course, Shepherd. A lot of information may not be readily accessible due to wartime damage. I will make the necessary queries."

"Great. Don't hesitate to give any financial incentive that seems necessary."

After a couple hours helping out in the cargo bay, Shepherd was nearly dead on his feet. This had to have been his longest day since the Battle of London, maybe even before then. He made it to the elevator and punched in deck 1. Once arrived, he stripped out of his uniform and collapsed onto the bed.

In the middle of the night, Shepherd woke up. He looked over at the chronometer, 0200 hours. He tried to get back to sleep, but found he was only tossing and turning without his wife. Apparently, Tali wasn't the only one who had adapted to their relationship. He put on his casual pants and hoodie and decided to get up.

Shepherd roamed the halls, but on a ship the size of the _Normandy_, that wasn't able to eat up more than a few minutes. He eventually made his way to the crew deck and decided to relax in the lounge. Joshua found out he was not alone.

Kasumi smiled and waved Shepherd over to the bar. "Hey Shep, it's been a while since we've had a drink."

"Sure, Kasumi," he said as he sat down. "What are you having?"

"Just some pisco that one of my new friends gave me. No sake onboard." She grabbed a glass and poured him a double shot. Shepherd chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Well, last time I was here was on our way to attacking Cerberus's base. I guess the image is a little ironic now, but Tali was trying hard to get drunk, upset with her father." Tali had been the last person he had ever expected to see trying to drown her sorrows; her father cat a shadow on her, even from beyond his grave. Shepherd downed his glass and continued. "She mentioned that he would have hated me being with her, being a human."

"Shep, from the little I knew she told me of her father, I don't think it would have mattered. He wouldn't have been happy with her doing anything that wasn't his idea." She turned her seat and looked at him. "I know where you're going with this, and you don't need to regret getting hitched. Except maybe for not waiting for me to be there," she said with a glint. "Every Quarian owes you their life and also their home. There are always going to be bigots, believe me. But you have more than paid for the right to do what you want to do, and be with whom you want to be."

Shepherd nodded. "Thanks." He paused for a second, staring at his empty glass. "The galaxy is a changed place, now. My life even more so. I've always had to hold on to people and places loosely - most everyone that really knows me, was on the _Normandy_ either now or when we were up against the Collectors. And we lost too many of them against the Reapears... I haven't had a bed outside a ship since I was a boy... but anyway, sorry for getting caried away with the introspection. Tell me, why were you in the middle of the Andes being chased by Husks?"

Kasumi smiled and poured both of them another round. "Well, I had to make myself scarce after you were grounded. I'm good, but there's still enough arrest warrants out on me that I didn't want to spend my last few months on Earth in a cell. Peru seemed as good of a place as any to see. It always had so much beauty, and I had never seen it before. I didn't know what it would look like after the war, let alone there being an 'after the war' to think about.

"So, I was there and saw what was coming. After my time with you, I knew what to expect. We headed for the hills, cutting down bridges behind us, and staying under the trees. The plants are so thick there that you could be 5 meters from an ancient city and not realize it. The Reapers were concentrating on the centers of population first, which bought us some time. I guess somewhere along the lines a squad got sent out to look for strays. They found us.

"At first, it was just one or two, which weren't a problem since we had enough people armed. But you know how it would go. Eventually, we were overwhelmed and had to run instead of fight. We couldn't run forever either, of course... But by then, I was able to get a signal out to you, and it turned out good. Mostly good, I suppose. A few people rushed towards the attack to buy us a few more minutes and had to pay the price."

Shepherd nodded. "I've seen hundreds sacrificing themselves for the greater good. Kal'Reegar, Tali's friend that was on Haelstrom... his squad died protecting a comm tower on Palaven. Hopefully, I'm done seeing that."

Kasumi shrugged her shoulders, "Shep, you've always been willing to face death, but death apparently doesn't want you. Maybe its now time to face life, helping to build now that you've done your share of destroying."

Joshua finished up his drink and put it down. "That would be nice... different, but nice." He got up and streched his neck. "Well, Kasumi, thanks for the drink. And everything. I did miss our talks these last few months."

"You too, Shep. And thanks again for getting me out of there."

A chirp came from his communicator. Joker was paging him, after forwarding a message. Hackett had noticed their activities of the day and wanted an update. "I should go."

A few minutes later, Shepherd was back in the war room, connecting to the Admiral's office. "Shepherd, glad to see you on your own two feet again."

"Thank you, sir."

"I'm getting reports from the provincial government in Peru that you just rescued two hundred people that ran into some Husk remnants. Good work. I'm afraid that there going to be more pockets like that, not just here but throughout the galaxy. As you've been told, we are working with the Turians on mopping up the remainder of the Reaper's ground forces. We can think of no more qualified candidate to lead this effort than yourself."

Shepherd took a deep breath and though of how he wanted to respond. "For the first time, Admiral, I will have to decline your offer. I need to do something other than hunting Husks for the next few years."

Hackett responded. "I expected as much, Commander. Especially after this update to your file by Lieutenant Moreau, I imagine you are going to be living on Rannoch shortly. My sincere congratulations to you and your new bride."

"Thank you. It was sudden, but also a long time coming. And yes, I owe my wife a house on her homeworld."

"Shepherd, since that's your choice then I have an alternate offer for you. The balance of power has substantially changed in the galaxy. All four council races lost a substantial portion of military strength and civilian population in the Reaper war. The Citadel no longer exists to be a center of power and diplomacy. Meanwhile, the Quarians and Geth have emerged relatively unscathed. In fact, they are the only ones that are stronger than they were a year ago."

Shepherd hadn't thought of it, but realized that what Hackett said was the truth. The Quarians finally had their planet and a new, if fragile, alliance with the Geth. "So they have suddenly become a lot more important than they were before."

"Precisely. With their history, however, we are concerned about the Quarian's transition to a civilian government as well as their sharing territory with previously mortal enemies. Without the Citadel as a neutral location, the Council races are going to exchange ambassadors on our home planets. We are also giving this compliment to the Krogan and Quarians – although old attitudes may die hard for some, they are going to be players as big as us."

"Sir, I'm not going to allow myself or Tali to be used as a political pawn."

"No, no, of course not, Commander. However, we are establishing an embassy on Rannoch. I believe your actions in resolving the war with the Geth have outweighed the bad feelings towards humanity that Cerberus created. They have accredited our ambassador and also have requested advisers to assist in remaking their society and making their planet viable. Quarians haven't grown any food outside of a nutrient vat in hundreds of years. We are submitting you as the lead adviser to the Quarian government. You will be detached from the ambassador so you can be independent and there won't be a conflict of interest between them and the Alliance. We both know that in such a case, you are going to do what you believe is right, regardless of who benefits anyway. After the last few months we have had, I don't think anyone is going to be questioning your judgment anytime soon."

Shepherd couldn't help himself, "That might have been true sir, before my getting married."

Hackett laughed for a moment. "Understand that, and you and the retired Admiral will be just fine... which brings me to one final point. This is a civilian appointment, you will have to be retired as well, if you accept."

Shepherd paused for a moment and then responded, "I understand. Let me discuss this with Tali and I will send your office a message with my response."

"Of course. And Shepherd, thanks for... thanks for everything. Hackett out."


	9. Chapter 9

Shepherd hadn't seen the med bay so full since the aftermath of the Suicide Mission on the Collector base. For better or worse, in the Reaper War, there seemed to not be a lot of injuries – most either didn't get hit or didn't come back. Tali was sitting up in her bed, looking over the latest diagnostics from engineering.

"Oh, Joshua, I didn't see you. I was just trying to relax, see how the engines have been behaving."

She leaned over and Shepherd embraced her for a few moments. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm actually... fine."

He was almost shocked. "Really? I thought an exposure like that would have laid you out for weeks... I've heard of less being fatal."

"Have the Geth immunity builders already helped that me that much?"

Shepherd interrupted her "I thought you didn't have those protocols installed?"

"Well, I didn't after the Battle of Rannoch because I didn't want a reaction to slow me down at all for the upcoming battles. After I learned you survived, I knew we would be back on Rannoch soon, so I started."

Doctor Chakwas interrupted. "Actually, Tali, what the Geth are doing is specifically for adapting to Rannoch. In this case, Commander, I think that you may have had a lot to do with that."

"How so?"

"Well... let me see if I can work through Mordin's notes..." She paused for a minute, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I miss that crazy Salarian a lot more than I thought I would. Though, what he did, couldn't be more prouder of him..." She composed herself and continued.  
>"Anyway, here we are." She read through the notes and tried to distill it.<p>

"To sum it up, Tali, from your immune system's point of view, Earth-borne contaminants are going to be very similar. Especially given the protein chirality and the lack of Quarian/human contact, a mite of dust would cause the same reaction as, well, your activities with the Commander.

"Being with him turned out to be a more dangerous than you even thought. Mordin didn't expound on it because he knew it wouldn't matter and the chances of any of us surviving that mission were going to be slim. But, you dodged that and you've successfully adapted after repeated exposure... And in doing so, it seems that your immune system no longer has a response to casual contact with other potential reactants on this world."

"At any rate, if you were going to have a severe reaction, you would have done it by now. You're discharged. But if you even so much as think of coughing, you come back immediately."

"Yes, doctor," Tali said. Anything to get her out of the med bay.

"Also, your little stowaway has stabilized. Please let her parents know she'll be fine and they can take her with them. Exercise and a meal would be the best thing for her now."

Shepherd delivered the news. "I was told she's an orphan. Her guardian didn't survive the trip either. EDI is looking for any other family members, but it may be awhile. Tali, I thought Juana could stay with us for now."

Tali nodded excitedly. "I'd like that, a lot." Shepherd and her walked over to the girl in her bed.

She was concentrating, drawing a picture on an old PDA. Juana had apparently gotten used to Tali with the helmet on... "Good morning, Juana."

"Hello, Tali."

"The doctor says that you are better enough to leave now."

"This is my husband Joshua. He was the one that got rid of the monsters." The girl's eyes widened and Shepherd felt like he grew five feet in her eyes. She got up and squeezed him tightly.

Shepherd hugged her back. "We'd like to have you come with us for the day. You can see the ship."

"So I really am on a spaceship? The doctor said I was, but I couldn't tell. I've never been on one before."

Shepherd chuckled. "Then this is your lucky day. Tali has been the engineer of the _Normandy_ for a long time, she makes sure it keeps going. She makes this the best ship in the galaxy."

Juana took both of their hands and they left the med-bay. First stop was to the mess for breakfast. Shepherd had the Mess Officer fix up two plates for them and Tali's usual nutrient paste. He could have hardly believed someone that small was able to eat as much as Juana did. Her body was screaming for calories to replace the blood and her strength.

She looked over at Tali, sipping at her drink. "Tali, you don't want some oatmeal? It's really good."

The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment until Shepherd stepped in. "Juana, Tali isn't from Earth like us. She's called a Quarian. The building blocks that make up her body, are flipped around for her, so she can't eat our food."

"Oh..." Juana thought for a moment. "That's why you have three fingers too? It wasn't an accident?"

Tali shook her head. "No, that's just the way I am."

"Well... I hope your drink is yummy like this oatmeal is."

"You don't care that I'm different?"

Juana looked pensive for a moment and then spoke, "We're all different. Joshua's skin is different from mine. We both have long black hair. He barely has any." She went back to consuming copious amounts of oatmeal.

Shepherd was struck by the childlike honesty and wisdom she had given. If everyone would keep things simple like she did, things would be better all around. Adults always complicated things.

After breakfast,Shepherd thought Juana would like to see the CIC. The three of them stood at the navigation map. First, he found Earth and then he zoomed outwards. "Off her, this is Mindoir, where I grew up."

"Does your family live there still?"

"No, some bad men came and took my family, just like what happened to your friends. But I have made many new friends since then."

Tali zoomed out and then went to the Perseus Veil, then to Rannoch's system. "Here is where my people are from. We have been gone for a long time, but now we are coming back."

"Is it pretty?"

"I think it is. It is a lot different than where you are from. A lot less plants, but the ones that are there stand out more. The rocks and the deserts can be pretty too."

After that, they went up to the cockpit. Shepherd shot Joker a quick message warning him he was going to have a child's ears nearby shortly. The door opened and Juana saw out the windows. "Wow... we really are in space."

Joker laughed. "Yeah, we are. I'm Joker, I fly this ship. And this is EDI. She pretty much does everything else."

Juana smiled and shook both of their hands. "It is nice to meet you. Joshua and Tali have been showing me all over your ship." She paused for a moment. "Are we very high up?"

"Right now, we are. We came closer to Earth so it would be shorter to get you on, but it's better for the engines to not be in the air. Here, I'll show you." Joker had the ship do a quarter-barrel roll, so Earth was viewable in the left window. They were close enough that the planet took up the entire view, but it was obvious they were in low orbit.

"Pretty. Is that Peru?"

EDI responded. "That is Brazil, we just missed Peru."

"Oh, too bad."

Tali spoke up, "Well, I think we took up enough of Joker's time here. There's other places of the ship to see still."

Shepherd showed her the war room, now empty. He regretted bringing both Juana and Tali, it brought back a lot of memories that he didn't want to think of right now. Juana was acting restless so they went back up to deck two, and the three of them chased each other around the forward section of the deck, the long corridor between the mess and the weapons batteries.

Later on in the day, they went down to the engine room. Tali introduced them to Adams, Gabby, and Ken, who she was delighted to meet her. After a few minutes, Tali spoke up. "And now, I want to show you one of my favorite spots on the ship." She opened the door to the drive core. Juana ran to the railings and stared at the blue, rumbling orb.

"Wow, it's so big."

"That's what makes the ship go. It also was where I first told Joshua that I loved him." Tali smiled and embraced him, until EDI beeped in.

"I've checked into it as much as I could, with how incomplete records are currently, we can't find any surviving potential guardians. Kasumi and the village elders confirm that."

Shepherd knelt down so he was face to face with the girl. "Juana, do you remember any aunts or uncles or cousins that you have?"

Juana shook her head. "My parents didn't have any brothers or sisters." She sniffled, trying to hold back a tear. "Grandma died and now...I'm... I'm all alone." She burst out crying.

Shepherd acted out of instinct and held her in his arms. Juana's situation is far from unique with the trauma humanity has suffered. The refuge in Chiclayo was doing the best it could, but there too many problems with too few solutions, and it would going to be that way for a long time. _She's going to slip through the cracks, like I almost did on Mindoir_, he thought to himself.

Shepherd look into Tali's eyes and without saying a word, she had an answer for his unspoken question. "Juana, I was alone once, too. So was Tali. Both of our families are gone. But we found each other and now she's my family. We would love for you to be part of our family too."

Juana nodded and started crying again, happy. "Yes, I want to stay with you." After a minute she looked up at Tali. "We are going to go live on Rann... Rannish?"

Tali's heart smiled, not realizing that in those few short hours she had fallen hopelessly in love with that girl. "Rannoch. Yes, we will." She paused for a second. Her personality always had a nasty habit of puncturing her dreams with reality. "Joshua, can we really do this? Any sort of legal paperwork for adopting her must be impossible right now."

Shepherd grinned. "I think this will be the best reason ever for me to flash my SPECTRE authority. But we'll worry about that tomorrow. Let's go up to our room for now." They went back to the elevator and as he punched in deck one, Shepherd looked at his omnitool, not realizing how late it was. "I'll stop and get food, you two go on ahead."

Joshua stepped off at deck two and then the elevator continued on to the captain's quarters. Tali led Juana into the room and turned on the lights.

"Cool! Fish!" She ran to the tank and stared at the aquarium for minutes. She didn't seem to blink once. Tali turned on the lights at the desk to check her personal messages quickly. Nothing that needed to be looked at now. Tali looked to her left and Juana wasn't there. She then heard a squeal coming from the couch. Juana jumped on the couch and climbed up to the back, staring at Shepherd's models.

"Wow, lots of spaceships." She looked at the labels. "Here's our ship_. _The _Destiny_... I dont' know that other word...that's a big one. Quarian Liveship... This is yours?"

"Yes, that's the ship that I grew up on." The girl touched her herlmet, questioningly. "Actually, we're alone now so I can take this off." Tali loosened her seal and put the helmet on the end-table next to her bed.

Juana smiled, "That's better. You're too pretty to have to wear that."

After another minute, the door slid open and Shepherd came in. He had supper in one hand and a blanket and pillow in his other. He put down the food on the table. Juana sat down and tucked in. After she was done eating, he spread the blanket out on the couch. "Here we go, you can sleep right here tonight. Tali and I will be right in that bed over there if you need anything."

"Thank you."

"The bathroom is right behind you. We don't have any children clothes in stock. Here's an adult-sized tee, you can sleep in it tonight."

Juana yawned. "Ok. I am getting tired now." She took the tee and went into the head to get washed up and changed for the night. While she was busy, Tali and Joshua sat down on the couch to clear the upper platform. After a few minutes, Juana was done and walked down. She jumped into Joshua's lap and kissed him on the cheek and then leaned over and kissed Tali.

"Good-night dad. Good-night mom."

_Author's Note: Updated based on some review comments, I somehow forgot there was as couch in the room, more comfortable than the floor. Thanks for all the comments. - DW_


	10. Chapter 10

After Juana had fallen asleep, Shepherd relayed his conversation with Hackett from the earlier that morning. Tali took it in, thinking about how it fit in his plans. "Joshua, I think you would be great at that. Everyone was willing to put away past arguments when the Reapers were around... eventually, at least. Without that threat, people are going to start getting political, greedy again."

"And you think I'll be good at being a peace-maker."

"Well, no one can match your reputation. And you can charm the pants off anyone."

Shepherd shrugged. "I'm one-for-one with Quarians anyway."

Tali gasped in mock embarassment. "Boshtet, you watch what you say before our daughter starts repeating..." She froze, digesting what she said.

"Tali? Are you ok?"

"Wow... I think all this just hit me..." She took a breath. "I never really thought about having a family. Even when I had one, my father was always consumed with his work. I just... when I went to you that first time, before the Collectors, I knew that you would be my first and only and I never expected for us to both survive and for all this to happen... I'm ok. Everything's just happened so fast. We Quarians can take a while to adjust, both our bodies and our emotions, but once we do, it sticks. Part of me feels guilty for being so happy, when so many others aren't."

He held her in his farms for a few minutes. "That's why we're going to Rannoch, to help in whatever way we can. And the ones I can't charm, I'll engage in more... aggressive diplomacy."

"And your commission?"

"Hasn't really mattered much since I became a SPECTRE. Technically, I haven't been answerable to the Alliance since then – it wouldn't be illegal for me to disobey orders if I said it was Council business. Up until now, what they've asked me to do, was the right thing to do anyway."

"Including surrendering for a show trial?"

"Even so. And even though it kept me from you for far too long. It meant the Alliance Navy wasn't wasting resources worrying about the Batarians when the invasion happened." Shepherd continued, "I've been in the military all my adult life, so it will be different, but that was my old life. I have new titles now."

"Like being my bond-mate... and now a father... And you are doing as good a job with that as you ever did as a commander."

"And you are too. You risked a lot to save her." After a few moments, Joshua said, "Looks like I have a few messages to write."

"I supposed I do too. I'll let Auntie Raan know we're coming.

_To: Adm Hackett, Alliance Navy HQ_

_From: Commander Joshua Shepherd_

_Re: Rannoch Advisory position_

_Admiral, in regards to our discussion previously, I'm resigning my commission in the Alliance Navy, effective immediately, to be appointed to the Special Alliance Advisory Council To the Quarians on Rannoch. We will arrive on Rannoch when practical._

_Additionally, Tali'Shepherd and I have adopted an orphaned six year-old girl that we rescued from the incident in Peru. Given the circumstances, I'm using my SPECTRE authority to bypass normal procedures. Please have your staff take care of the necessary paperwork._

_Before departing from Rannoch, the _Normandy _will need resupplying, which is scheduled for tomorrow. Please also include 5 sets of clothes for our daughter; Rannoch is likely not going to have a good supply of human clothes._

There, that should do for that one.

_Joker & EDI,_

_Once we're resupplied and the refugees have been transported, please set course to Rannoch. We'll have landing coordinates once in system._

Shepherd turned off his PDA and put it on the table and got comfortable. Tali was still struggling with her message.

_To: Adm Shala'Raan vas Rannoch_

_From: Adm Tali'Zorah vas _Normandy_ (Ret)_

_Re: News!_

_Auntie Raan! I am sorry that I have not written you sooner, but everything has moved so fast I could never figure out when to stop and write. _

_First, Shepherd was released from medical care a few days ago. I know this is sudden, but he proposed marriage – the human equivalent to bond-mate – and our pilot, who is technically acting Captain, perform the human ceremony immediately (I hadn't known captains on human ships also had that capability – Joshua said it is an old tradition). Part of me does regret not having your presence or prior knowledge._

_Also, we are going to be coming to Rannoch, to live, permanently. Joshua has resigned his Alliance commission to be a civilian consultant. I already had to resign in order to stay here after the Geth war was over... His assignment seems to be open-ended; let's talk about what we can do to help when we arrive._

_With all that, we will need to find some living quarters – somewhat close to where the embassies are being built, but not too close. And... we need at least two bedrooms. We rescued a young human girl, orphaned by the Reaper war. We are adopting her. So, we need to make sure wherever we are, we have a room for our daughter (Keelah, I hope that you have not fainted by this point, I know I'm about to!). I hope I take as good care of her as mother and you watched over me._

Tali looked over the message twice and then sent her. She leaned over and look at her mate, who was already dead asleep. She sighed and smiled before curling up behind him, her arm draped across his abdomen.

Shepherd slowly regained consciousness after the night's sleep, even before the alarm set for 0600 hours had gone off. He gradually became aware of a feeling of being watched. He opened his eyes and saw two dark eyes peering at him, not six inches away. Joshua would have jumped 5 feet if it hadn't been for his years of training to control reflexes. "Good morning, dad!"

He smiled and sat up in the bed. Juana suddenly got a worried look in her face. "What's the matter."

"Is that... I mean, is it okay I say that?"

Something instinctive took over and Shepherd picked her up and hugged her tightly. "Yes, it is, dear. It's perfectly fine."

Tali woke up during the exchange. "We want you to. You're our daughter now, and that's never going to change."

While Shepherd was availing himself of the facilities, the door chime went off. "Special Delivery." It was Joker.

Joshua stepped out of the head, wearing his more formal clothing today. Tali reached for her helmet but then stopped. Time for a little test. "You aren't sick, are you?."

Joker laughed. "No, not today. I don't think I caught anything from EDI lately." Tali nodded to Shepherd, who unlocked the door.

"Hey, Commander, we got our resupply a few minutes ago along with the items you requested. I figured I could stretch my legs for a few minutes, carefully, of course." Joker glanced up and did a double-take. "Whoa... Quarians really are the galaxy's best-kept secret."

A voice came over the intercom. "Jeff, I am currently evaluating algorithms to emulate what humans describe as 'jealousy.'"

Tali uncharacteristically giggled. "Thanks Joker."

"You know, the extranet doesn't even come close... Oh right, child in the room. I hope my toe isn't broken now, thanks Commander."

Shepherd smiled. "Whatever it takes. Though, effective about seven hours ago, it's just Shepherd or Joshua now. The position on Rannoch is civilian." 

Joker shook his head. "No matter what you do, you will always be my commander. And I'll always be ready for whatever crazy thing you want to do next." Joker handed a small bundle to Juana. "Here's some new clothes. We hope you like them."

"Thank you," she said. "They look very pretty."

Joker smiled and talked to Shepherd, "Doctor Chakwas has released the last of her patients, so we will be able to make for the Charon relay later this afternoon. Arcturus is well, a mess after the last battle, so it will be a couple days before we will get through all the relay transits to Rannoch."

"Ok, thanks."

"Also, Kasumi asked to hitch a ride; she wasn't clear where she'd get off."

"She never does."

"True that. Well, I'll let your family be, you know where I sit if you need anything."

Around mid-morning, Shepherd was notified the _Normandy_ was about to land in Chiclayo. He turned to Juana and said, "Everyone else from Peru is going to be leaving now. Do you want to say good-bye?"

She nodded. It was a bitter-sweet; some of these people she had known all her life. He found the old man that he had talked to the other day. "Good morning, Commander."

"Good morning. I trust everything is ok."

"Yes, indeed. No complaints in your ship's hospitality." He looked over at Juana giving a few good-bye hugs to some older women. "You're doing a very good thing, sir. I know that you'll take care of her."

Shepherd said, "We will. And this doesn't have to be good-bye forever. From the little I saw of your country, I am sure she will want to visit sometime."

Joshua said a few more farewells and then watched the people depart and the doors close. Then the _Normandy_ ascended and they were off.


	11. Chapter 11

"This is Rannoch orbital control. Incoming vessel, state your intentions," said a digitized voice from the cockpit's speakers. Space here wasn't nearly as bad as Arcturus was, but there were enough wrecks that Joker had to be careful. The big pieces weren't the problem; they were few and easy to avoid. A cloud of shrapnel hitting the ship at once could cause some maintenance work, if not worse, even with the barriers up. Though the big pieces were large enough that it brought back painful memories for Tali. She turned away and towards the planet, distracting herself by pointing out major land formations for her daughter."

"This is the Alliance vessel _Normandy_, requesting vectors to Fleet Headquarters." The Quarians had a lot of work before the military and civilian governments would be completely separated, so most bureaucracies were operating in the same area.

"Acknowledged _Normandy. _Please confirm the presence of Creator Tali'Shepherd and Joshua Shepherd-Spectre."

"That's correct. Please inform Admiral Raan of our arrival and docking location."

"Understood. Transmitting coordinates now. Do not deviate from your course to avoid the appearance of hostility." It seemed both the Quarians and Geth were more than a little jumpy still.

They approached the city a few minutes later. It was magnificent yet eerie. The geth mobile platforms on Rannoch had spent the last three hundred years repairing the damage of the Morning War, rebuilding and maintaining cities, industry, and agriculture, longing for the day that the Creators would accept them and return. The city's architecture looked ancient to Shepherd, of carved stone and brick, like something out of Earth's ancient past. Yet it was seemingly brand-new, gleaming in the orange light of Tikkun.

The three Shepherds disembarked and were met by Shala alone. Joshua was a bit apprehensive, this was the closest thing to in-laws he was going to have. Tali spoke up, "Auntie Raan, you have met before, but please let me introduce my bond-mate Joshua Shepherd. And here is our daughter, Juana."

Shala smiled, "Tali, you don't have to worry. If I had a disagreement with your choice of mate, I would have said something when you rejoined the fleet last time."

Tali was confused, "How did you know... I never said anything."

"Believe me, for someone who has been around as long as I have, you can tell when... well, with the child here, let me just say that I knew you had been busy." Joshua felt a tinge of heat go to his cheeks. "I knew you felt for him from how you acted after your pilgrimage and what happened."

Shepherd offered his hand, "It's nice to see you again, Admiral."

Shala shook her head. "We are family now, so we can avoid the titles, Joshua." She smiled. "But for the record, if Tali ever comes to me hurt, you will wish that there were Reapers around to fight instead of facing me."

"Then I will never give you that cause, Shala."

She knelt down to be eye-level with Juana. "And hello to you, I am glad to meet you. You can call me Aunt Raan, just like your mom."

Juana smiled and gave her a hug, "Pleased to meet you too, Aunt Raan."

"There are a few hours left in the day, so let's take a brief tour."

The Quarians had made the most of the several weeks they had lived on Rannoch. Farms had been reactivated, though until the harvest the following year, the Quarians would still have to depend on the vast nutrient vats, which were being moved from the liveships to being on planet. The Conclave was meeting regularly, trying to transform a quasi-martial code of law into a civilian one. The latest order of business was suspending future pilgrimages indefinitely, both due to the relatively chaotic state the galaxy was in but also the very likely change it would no longer be needed. Next, they would have to create an incarceration and detention center – not pawning off criminals on random planet alone would help improve their relations.

The thousands of ships of the Migrant Fleet now had to find new purpose. The better-armed ones supplemented the Geth fleet for defense, as both had sustained significant damage in both wars. The privately-owned ships were canvassing the galaxy, no longer as beggars and transients but as merchants and tradesman. The Quarians were also quickly moving away from a bartering economy internally.

Fleet headquarters was established on planet as well. The rest of the Admirals still spent most of their time in space. Shala had decided she had enough of traveling the stars and became responsible for the newly-created Engineering Corps.

In space, seventeen million individuals were incredibly crowded, no matter how many ships the Quarians acquired. On a planet, it was barely enough for a few large cities. They were a very social species but also wanted the space that had so long been denied them. Hundreds of small close-knit communities were being established across the main southern continent. Shepherd mused that they had were in essence re-creating the social dynamics they had aboard the fleet, with villages replacing ships. The villages had the advantage of being expandable and not in constant danger of being exposed to vacuum.

In the distance, a few kilometers from the capital city, which came out as "Garden Door" in Shepherd's translator, was the embassy complex. There were large campuses for the humans, Turians, Salarians, Assari, and even a handful of Krogan. The Alliance had the the plans for the largest population, three to five hundred, according to what Hackett had said. The spaceport was very busy, as all of them needed food and other supplies brought in. Most of the population couldn't eat Quarian food even if they wanted to, and Turians would not deign to eat the nutrient soup anyway.

Of course, most of the building was done by synthetics. The Geth were practically falling over themselves helping their creators. Shepherd would have called it working off guilt if it had been a human. So far, the relationship had been amicable, yet guarded. Not surprising considering they were both trying to eradicate the other two months ago.

Lastly, Shala took them to a massive complex, with what Joshua would have called cottages. "This location is where most of the Engineering Corps, including myself live. The houses probably look small to most species, but they are over twice the size of what we would have had aboard the fleet. Most of us are finding it discomforting to be too spread out from their families."

Tali chimed in, "I know what you mean. On the original _Normandy_, the ship seemed half empty and it was so quiet, I kept waking up at night fearing the engines had failed."

"And finally, here is the house that was selected for you." Shala activated her omni-tool and opened the door. "There, it's synced to your biometrics, so you will be able to come and go."

Shepherd let Tali go in, but Juana quickly burst passed her, anxious to see their new home. "Wow, come here!"

The house was single-story and actually one of the largest buildings in the complex, probably due to the two humans. The front door opened to the family common room, with the kitchen and dining nook immediately behind it. Juana was standing in the first room on the left, which had a child-sized bed and her clothes already hung up. There was also several books in English and Spanish and a small assortment of toys.

Joshua went in to investigate, "Where did all this come from..?"

Shala spoke up, "Call it my making up for missed celebrations. I scanned the inventories of some of the human supply ships arriving and made some deals."

Juana smiled, "Thank you. These are very nice." She went back to playing while the adults went through the rest of the house.

There was a second bedroom, fashioned into an office and conference room. Finally, the master bedroom was on the right of the hallway. Shala said, "We found a few basic pieces of furnishing, but we didn't want to presume your personal tastes, or what a human would want anyway."

They sat in the common room for about an hour, Tali and Shala swapping stories from everything from their time as Tali was growing up to some of the adventures she had shared with Joshua. Eventually, Shala got up and excused herself, "I should be getting back to my duties. A Geth platform will come around shortly with the evening meal. You should find all of your personal items already moved here."

After she left, Joshua opened a channel to the _Normandy_. "Joker, EDI, we've already been provided quarters and it appears our possessions have already been transferred. So, you're free to depart."

Joker replied. "Aye, Commander. Sir, no matter what, this will always be your ship. We'll keep in touch and I'm sure we'll be in the neighborhood often."

EDI spoke up, "Shepherd, we wish you continued success, until we see you again." There was a pause for a moment. "Logging you out."

True to Shala's word, a few minutes later the door chime rang. Joshua opened the door and was face-to-face with a Hunter. "Greetings, Shepherd. I have brought the rations for your houshold for the evening."

"Thanks." Legion had been one thing, but even he was a bit unnerved by having this platform, specifically designed for combat appearing at the door. "Please, come in."

Juana was a little frightened, and ran back to her room. Tali went off to explain and calm her down. The Geth put down the package on the table and stood in the room, like it was expecting something. Having something this large just for deliveries seemed wasteful. Shepherd wanted some answers. First thing's first. "What's your name... your designation."

"My designation is X55592-1. However, we have learned much from Legion's former experiences with you and your crew and were prepared for organics to insist on personal name for Geth they will have regular contact with. You may call me Gideon."

"Regular contact?"

"We have come to consensus that the current feelings of unity and peace will not be permanent and even now may be somewhat superficial. There is an eighty-four percent change that you will face hostilities and sixty-six percent change of attack against your person or household according to our calculations. I have volunteer to protect against that possibility."

"So the Geth felt we needed a bodyguard."

"A succinct yet accurate statement."

Tali slowly came back in the room, holding Juana's hand who was a couple steps behind. "You see? He's a friend."

Joshua crouched down and reached for Juana, and then picked her up in his arms. "This is Gideon, he is a friend. He'll be a neighbor and watching out for us." Juana slowly reached out and touched the Geth's arm, but kept her other arm wrapped around Shepherd's.

Tali spoke up, "Did I hear you say you volunteered?"

"Yes, I did Tali-Creator. I was installed on a server on the Dreadnaught where you disconnected Legion from the Reaper's control. I witnessed your relationship with Legion and wished to learn more of both of you. Shepherd, we had determined that we understood your behavior to a high degree of accuracy, including your continuing relationship with Tali-Creator, but the addition of a human child was not foreseen, to an order of one millionth of a percent."

"Well, that's ok. Life is unpredictable, Gideon. Otherwise, there would be no point living it. And your error is understandable as both of my girls are one in a million."

"I will analyze this further. For now, I will begin my reconnaissance of the surrounding area. Your omni-tools have been given a direct link to me, as well as through the household communication system." And with that, the towering Geth walked out the door, shimmering into invisibility.

After supper was over, Juana looked over at Tali. "Mom, is it safe for you to take your helmet off here?"

She thought for a moment. "I think I'll be ok. For now, we'll see how I feel when we're home. I will probably always have to be careful around Turians, they may have sicknesses that I can get." Tali took off her helmet and stowed it near the front door. "That better?"

"Much...Turians? Oh, I remember some vids of them. Did you ever fight with them, dad?"

"Yes, I certainly did. One of my best friends was a Turian named Garrus. He had been a security officer and then he joined me around the same time Tali did. Both of them were with me at the end fighting a bad Turian named Saren, another fight against some other creatures building a monster, and then on Earth during the last battle."

"Joshua, you are going to give her nightmares!"

Juana stared into his eyes, "So you have done a lot of fighting."

"Yes, I have. Sometimes there are people who want to hurt others because they are smaller and weaker, and others have to stop them. But now, the ones I am looking out for the most are you and your mom."

After supper, Juana wanted to look at her new clothes and show them to Tali. Joshua thought it was girl stuff and let them have some time together, but after several minutes, Juana came out dressed in a deep green sundress. "This is my favorite. Do you like it?"

It really did suit her nicely. "Yes, you look very pretty with it. Let's see how it suits you outside." She nodded and went towards the front door. "Actually, there's a door to the roof. That looks fun."

Dusk set in to Rannoch. The orange haze from Tikkun faded and the purple glow of the Perseus Veil permeated the atmosphere. The three of them were gazing up at the sky. The constellations were completely different, of course, being on the other side of the galaxy from Earth.

Juana broke the silence, "You have a beautiful home, mom."

"Thanks, but this is all our home now." Tali smiled and gazed into the distance. "But, you are right. I think we should think about heading back inside soon. It's almost someone's bedtime and by the look of the waves in the sea, it's about to get pretty windy."

"What waves?"

"Forget the waves, what sea?" Joshua said.

"Oh, I forgot." Tali turned her head and looked at them, her eyes glowing. "That's why we have these," she said, pointing to her eyes. "With the Veil, there's enough ambient light for me to see almost as good as day, just no color."

"Cool."

After Juana went to bed, Tali and Joshua spent some time going through their things in their bedroom. His models had been carefully packed, and ready to be put on display. "Maybe the main hallway?"

"Maybe."

"Hmm." Joshua sat back down on a stool and his attention went back into the box with some other mementos that he had collected over the years. Tali's possessions were miniscule, almost completely utilitarian. And then she came upon a box that neither of them had seen before, addressed to her.

_Tali,_

_Congratulations on your new path in motherhood. From what I hear, these may be able to suit you sooner, rather than later. I apologize that they are not brand-new, but most were only used once, best for avoiding being recognized. There is one new piece._

_Next time,_

_Kasumi_

She was curious and a little perplexed, but decided to open the container. In it, was a vast array of women's clothing. Kasumi must have figured that Tali was closer to her size. It was something that Tali had not really thought of, but if she was experimenting more and more not having her helmet on, the suit should follow too. It would be very different.

"Here, let me see how these look and feel. It will be different than what I'm used to." With that, Tali took a small bundle into the master bath and shut the door.

A few minutes later she appeared, wearing a purple blouse and skirt. "Tali, that looks really good on you. How do you like the feel?"

"Well, it is different, these move on their own, brushing on my skin. The suit always stayed in its place... well, most of the time." She smiled and then slipped both the blouse and skirt off, revealing a red bra and panties underneath. "I think I put these on right. I was curious what humans looked like before our first time and saw a couple of vids." She winked at him.

Tali knelt down and found a Tee and a pair of blue denim jeans and slipped them on. She looked over and could tell she was driving Joshua crazy. She was enjoying every minute of this. "These seem a bit more practical, don't you think?"

Shepherd nodded, "Yes, good for any more rigorous outings. Some of those cliffs I saw might be fun to climb some time."

"Mmm-hmm," she said, slipping that set off as well. This went on for several more minutes, her trying on almost the entire wardrobe in front of him. To his credit, Joshua was doing his best to control himself.

Finally, she smiled, "Well, I think that's it. Except for one piece." She went back to the bath and closed the door for a minute.

Tali came back into the room, wearing a purple negligee that left the bare minimum to imagination. "I believe I found the piece that was brand-new." She pounced onto the stool Joshua was sitting on, putting her legs and arms around him, taking deep kisses from his lips. "My first night on my home world. And all because of you."

Shepherd picked her up and laid her gently on the bed. "Well, that's pretty special. I know how we should spend it."


	12. Chapter 12

Gentoo'Rafta stewed in his thoughts. He was finally back on Rannoch, the glory of his people, but to him, it was their greatest shame. Gentoo grew up hearing stories of his planet, how the Quarians had been betrayed by their creations three hundred years prior, driven out of their natural inheritance.

And they were back. But not as victorious warriors. No, they were tenants. The Geth were their servants, and the very idea that they had decided to allow the Quarians to live here gnawed as his innner being. The Quarians were dependent on the Geth. Dependent on them for food, for defense, for any hope for exposure to their home planet to not be a dangerous prospect.

_No, we are not tenants. We are pets._

And pets that live only at the pleasure of their supposed master, at that. The Quarians had been inches from true victory over them, and when things got tough for the Geth, they immediately ran to the Reapers for help. No matter what their stated intentions, it was obvious that the Geth always looked out for themselves.

Gentoo didn't blame them; that was the way of the galaxy. It just meant that the Geth were not the servants their name implied. They only served themselves. And they would shove a blade in their back the first time there was consensus it was a good thing.

These thoughts had made Gentoo very surly. That was acceptable to him. He was not going to celebrate as if they had finally won the Morning War, when in fact they might as well have surrendered. A truce that had been brokered by a spoiled little princess that had no right to the title of Admiral; a truce made in a desperate attempt by humans to save their own skins.

Gentoo had been on the front lines. Humans may have succeeded at the end, but during the war, his unit lost more members to humans than they ever did to Reapers. He never bought that Cerberus was a completely rogue group. They were too well equipped, had too much technology, to not have been a convenient way for the Alliance to do its dirty work. Gentoo couldn't decide if in the giant scale of the cosmos, humans helped enough to make up for the damage they had done. And now they were setting up shop a short distance from the capital.

As if they needed help from those five-fingered boshtets. They had discovered the relays barely a generation ago and yet they acted as if they were masters of the galaxy, being given a seat on the Citadel Council when the Quarians were denied even a simple embassy.

No matter, the Quarians had been fine on their own for more generations than Gentoo was willing to count. Now they were strong and everyone wanted to manipulate them. Rannoch was their birthright. The rest of them could burn.


	13. Chapter 13

Garrus finished rummaging through the debris in the footprint of his family home. This part of Palaven had been efficiently razed, burned to the ground. He had found nothing of worth that had survived, unfortunately what he expected.

He ticked off some of the more memorable places he had lived. His ancestral dwelling here, now gone. Omega, wiped out by the Reapers. The first _Normandy, _destroyed by the Collectors. The Citadel... well, it turned out that place had it coming.

Three months after the Battle of London, the fires were finally out on Palaven. The Reapers had enough military intelligence to realize that keep the Turians distracted here was the best way to stop the reinforcements on Earth and later on Thessia. Garrus would have blamed Saren, but it seemed that there were many more indoctrinated individuals than anyone had realized. Either as a result of Saren and the renegate Geth, or Cerebrus or both, no one would ever know.

Primarch Victus has been sufficiently impressed by Garrus's skill and experience, both with Reapers and in law enforcement, to promote him to lead an effort to root out these indoctrinated victims. Brainwashed followers with no leader. Hearing voices that no longer made any sense.

The trouble was, the Hierarchy was not divided into good people and those indoctrinated. Many had witnessed scenes so horrific, that even they as Turians mentally cracked. There were also plenty of vandals, deciding to get when the getting was good. He had met so many criminals caught that claimed temporary indoctrination as a defense, Garrus would have had to believe Harbinger had set up shop next door.

He looked around at signs of recovery. If there was a positive ray of light, it was in most locations, the agricultural land that was destroyed did not overcome the population loss. In other words, if they had lost less people and more land, they would have now faced the prospect of slowly starving over the next decade.

They had lost this harvest, of course. There were enough reserves to ration and Turian discipline was enough that it did not cause the rioting it was reported had occurred on Earth. They would have been in trouble for the upcoming year except for their new trade partners, the only other civilization in the galaxy that grew foods with the correct protein chirality. Transports from Rannoch were due to begin arriving next week. In exchange, the Quarian-Geth Confederation was receiving a lot of credits in their treasury, hard currency desperately needed by economies that were based on barter or, in the Geth's case, simply had not existed. And they received the Turian's vote to join the Council.

Garrus always despised politics. Maybe it was watching too many scumbags get away on technicalities while in C-Sec. Or maybe it was finding too many scumbags he couldn't arrest in the first place because they were accredited diplomats. He had once heard Shepherd quote an old Earth leader as saying that governments had no friends or enemies, only positive or negative interests. The Quarians and Geth were despised and hated, respectively. Until they became powerful and needed.

The Council had reformed a few weeks ago, renewing the existing charter. With no neutral ground, a mini-Citadel was established on each Council planet: Earth, Thessia, Sur'Kesh, Palaven, and now Rannoch. Garrus mused that forcing politicians to at least see ordinary people day-to-day probably would do them some good. The embassies had taken to focusing on the philosophies of their host – Thessia became head diplomatic center, Sur'Kesh was staffed with the best scientists and intelligence the races had to offer, Palaven became headquarters for joint military matters, and Earth and Rannoch as a mixture.

The Quarian-Geth Confederation was accepted as full members as the first order of new business, from what the primarch told Garrus. Earth, the Turians, and Asari had assented. The Salarians still had not forgiven the Quarians for the unpardonable sin of a scientific creation run amock.

One final stipulation for the trade agreement was Turian assent to give both the Quarians and Geth a one-and-a-half count in the Treaty of Farixen – allowing them 4.5 dreadnaughts to every five of the Turrians, instead of the three granted the Salarians, Asari, and humans. They already had the ships of a dreadnaught-type power and they weren't going to get rid of them either way. So, the Turians felt that it was better to give them the exception and keep them mostly in the rules than encourage them to avoid them altogether. Victus believed they would eventually decide the operational cost was prohibitive and unnecessary; just as the Salarians never got anywhere near their quota.

Garrus brushed off his armor with his artificial left arm and climbed aboard the shuttle, to head back to the Security Center. A servo in his hand was a little sticky and would have to be adjusted when he had more time. He didn't mourn his lost limb, considering what he saw most people mourn. Its loss had saved the life of one of his best friends and the mate of his brother in combat. Garrus thought it worth the cost, even if it did mean he probably would lose to Shepherd in another target-shooting competition. Probably. He was in the firing range whenever he wasn't trying to dig in the minds of some truly messed-up individuals. One could never be too careful.

When he arrived back, a young recruit was waiting for him. "Sir, there is a subject waiting for you in Cell A. Caught viciously attacking an elderly female. Usual song and dance about voices. We did find a makeshift explosive on him."

"All right, I'll check it out." Garrus entered the room and saw the suspect seated in a chair against a standard interrogation table, strongly restrained. This one was different. His eyes were not crazed, wandering, like most of the others. No, these eyes were just not there. As if this room was a dream. As if Garrus himself was not really present.

"I have seen that which is reality. I saw a vision of what our future would be, and you, Garrus Vakarian, helped destroy it. The voices of the gods no longer speak to me, but we know what they want. Revenge. The destruction of your so-called civilization that you try to rebuild, when it was worthless to begin with."

He continued to rant for several more minutes, becoming increasingly incoherent. He scrambeled around his pockets, apparently looking for his confiscated bomb. When it could not be found, he scratched himself across the throat. "I have failed. Others will not." Something began to sizzle on his fintertips and throat and the stranger began convulsing. Moments later, he was dead.


	14. Chapter 14

"And in other news, the Alliance military has declared all official combat patrols to be completed. It has been over seven months since the Battle of London and five weeks since the last contact with Reaper-created forces, a skirmish involving eight husks on Eden Prime. There is consensus among the leading Salarian scientists that without special Reaper-provided care, they would not be able to survive on their own.

"Meanwhile, the slow job of rebuilding continues. Authorities believe that the immediate supply issues have been resolved. Unusually warm and wet weather in the North American continent has provided a bumper crop of most grains, which will not only feed Earth but also help several colonies that had lost too much equipment to effectively feed themselves. This should eliminate further colonies repatriating. Salvage crews are working overtime, recycling damaged ship in space as well as buildings and vehicles on land.

"The famed frigate _Normandy_ and its crew led by Commander Jeff "Joker" Moreau were in Vancouver yesterday, commemorating a memorial to all the fallen. He and Garrus Vakarian gave a short speech, praising the hard work and sacrifice of the Alliance, the resistance, and all the races that allied with humanity in stopping the Reapers. A lucky few were chosen by lottery and given a tour of the ship, formerly captained by retired Commander Joshua Shepherd during the Reaper War. Shepherd sent a holo-recording for the ceremony, but his duties require his continued presence on Rannoch, where after his distinguished military career he is serving as a special detached adviser. Coming up, a replay of a special report on Commander Shepherd's career, history with the Reapers, and current personal activities which have made some question his loyalty, namely..."

Joshua turned off GNN, moments too late. Juana was too excited about the upcoming day and concentrated on eating her pancakes to have noticed. Tali had just walked into the kitchen and darted out. He looked at his daughter, "Finish up, you don't want to be late for opening day at school. I need to talk to your mom for a minute." She nodded and kept eating. Apparently his experiments with cooking were improving.

Tali was in their bedroom, not knowing how to feel. The girl inside her that had met Shepherd some three years ago, was wilting, believing the lies she always had told herself about not being good enough, not being what he needed. The reasons why she never said anything to Joshua on the first _Normandy_. The woman she was now was more furious than anything, wanting to find her shotgun and protect what was hers. She ended up sitting at the foot of their bed, shaking.

"Dear, you know that wasn't about us. There's people out there claiming to be reporters that think the easiest way to get attention is by tearing others down. We succeeded in a military alliance to defeat the Reapers, we did not make everyone best friends or destroy every pocket of bigotry in the galaxy." He stopped for a minute. "Tali, look at your mate."

She slowly lifted her head. "I know... I just... imagine hearing every bad thing that you've ever wondered about yourself said out loud by someone. And I tell myself this isn't about us, it's about my people, but that doesn't make me feel much better."

"We have changed the galaxy for the better and we are going to keep going that. But now, it's a slower change, won one person at a time."

He continued, "And honestly, it would help if the Quarians didn't keep acting if they were still exiled..." Shepherd stopped himself, cursing in his head. _Shit, I should have stopped when I was ahead._

Tali stood up and poked him in the chest. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Tali, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm still frustrated with Gerrel and Xen from yesterday."

"When your people wander space for three hundred years and try to rebuild everything in half a year, you can tell me about galactic appearances!"

"I'm not..!" Joshua stopped himself and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. You know I feel for everything that has happened to your people. I have tremendous respect for what the Quarians have accomplished. Especially for their youngest-ever admiral."

"If you think that you can just charm your way out of this..."

"Then I trust my mate to know me well enough to know I'd never mean to insult her or her people she loves dearly."

"Keelah, you make it very hard to stay mad at you for long."

"I have had enough people mad at me over my life. The only ones I really care about are you and Juana."

Tali smiled and gave him a quick peck. "And maybe Wrex and Grunt. Having Krogan mad at you is almost as dangerous as a Quarian."

"You're a boshet."

"Always."

"But you're my boshet."

"Always."

"And I'm going to be late for my first experience as a teacher if we don't get going."

Shepherd smiled. "It wouldn't do for the head engineering instructor to be late. I hope you and Juana have a good day. I'll be in the office, no field work planned."

"Ok. And thanks." Shepherd hugged both of his girls. Tali suited up and she and Juana headed out the door.

Joshua left a few moments later. He stepped out and waited for his usual ride. Suddenly, there was a glimmer out of the corner of his eye. He turned ninety degrees on his heals and took a quick step backwards. "Sorry, Gideon, you'll have to do better than that."

The Geth Hunter disabled his cloaking. "Shepherd-Commander, your tally now stands at thirty to seven. I continue to be surprised by your detection ability."

"Well, it's easier when I know it's coming. And with the morning sunlight."

"Even with the lack of surprise and lighting conditions... new parameters are being computed. Given the different in wavelengths between Sol and Tikkun, we surmise that human eye sensitivity is slightly shifted from the Creators. We must have overlooked this earlier."

Joshua chuckled. "Well, it's probably a good thing that you did. I got plenty close to Hunters that weren't as friendly as you back in the day."

"Interesting. We will consider this further."

Once arriving to the office complex, he had perhaps ten minutes to catch up on correspondence before a priority message came through. It was Shala'Raan. "Shepherd, we have a situation developing in the town square. There's some demonstrators and they look significantly more agitated than last time."

"Ok, I'll get over and try to calm things down.

"Thanks. I'll meet you there."

Shepherd looked over at his Geth companion. "Gideon, you should stay here. Another Geth is not going to make things quieter."

"Shepherd-Commander, that is inadvisable; the chances of a confrontation resulting in violence is not improbably."

"Ok, but stay back and out of sight as long as you can."

"Understood."

The town square was an ancient area, a few acres in size. On Earth or Mindoir, it would have been planted with trees, flowers, turned into a nice park. With Rannoch's overly-arid climate, most domesticated vegetation was strictly functional. It was a large, open plain. There were several rock outcroppings that had been carved into abstract shapes over the years and some that had been carved by the wind. The ground was fairly even but it was obvious that this was a natural area that had been adapted by the Quarians, not an artificial area flattened and landscaped. In the middle, there was a large area for gatherings – sometimes a market, sometimes for a festival. Now, it was either a protest or the beginning of a mob.

A crowd had gathered, mostly making general noise about the Geth. They formed a semi-circle with what appeared to be the leader at the center. Shala stood in the front, facing them. "I fail to see what your complaint is. And even if you have one, you should be talking to your Conclave member. This rabble is not becoming we Quarians."

The leader laughed in a sarcastic tone, "No, Admiral, what is not becoming us Quarians is being tenants of our homeworld, with the Geth as our lords."

"We are not their servants. The Geth have done nothing but help us resettle our home."

"We are here only by their pleasure after we fought each other to a stalemate! And you cannot tell us that once they are strong enough, they won't make us leave again."

Shepherd met Shala up front. "The Geth have no reason to do that. All they wish is to peacefully coexist and share the Quarians great heritage."

"Says you! What does a machine know about trust or loyalty to one's clan." The spokesman stopped for a moment. "Or what does a human know about loyalty either? Especially one that changed his opinion of Cerberus so often and has dealt with more criminal organizations than I have fingers?"

Joshua sighed. This was getting nowhere. Shala angrily spoke up, "How dare you insult the one person most responsible for all of us standing here today, Gentoo. I don't recall you risking your life to bring down any Reapers."

"Enough! I don't care what Shepherd did or why he did it. I do know that when all was said and done, yes, we landed on Rannoch, but so did the Geth. Rannoch for Quarians!"

The crowd chanted "Rannoch for Quarians!" several times.

Gentoo motioned toward someone in the back. "I am tired of words from former Admirals, busybody SPECTREs, and chattering politicians." A box was brought forward and it was opened. Inside was a standard Geth mobile unit. "This Geth was snooping outside my home."

The Geth interrupted, "Creator, I was assigned to patrol security in the area of your domicile. No harm was intended."

"Shut up! I didn't ask for your help, did I? We Quarians spent three hundred years taking care of our own security, mostly trying to defend ourselves from you!"

The Geth turned around, starting to leave. Before anyone could react, Gentoo pulled a pistol out and shot it point-blank in the head. The Geth stumbled for a second and then fell to the ground, deactivated.

"Enough of words. Now everyone has to decide whose side they are on. The Geth or the Quarians."

Within a few moments, Quarian security had arrived and arrest Gentoo. Unsure of the next step, they arrested him for discharging a weapon in a public area. But by then, several of Getnoo's supporters had uploaded vids of the incident all throughout the extranet.


	15. Chapter 15

The crowd in the town square quietly but quickly dispersed after Gentoo'Rafta was taken into custody and driven away. Shepherd asked Raan into his transport. "Shala, we need a response, quickly," he said, as reappeared in the driver's seat.

"I agree. I'll call an emergency meeting with the Conclave Speaker. We need to deal with this before our alliance disintegrates. Gideon, I can understand how the Geth must feel about this. Please understand that this is isolated; we hope this does not force any immediate action."

"Shala'Raan-Creator, damage to a single mobile platform is not a concern of the Geth. Our concern is protecting the Creators from each other."

"Excuse me?"

Shepherd broke in. "Shala, when Legion and I were disabling the Geth fighters before the ceasefire, I stumbled upon records of the first days of the Morning War. It was played directly into my head, so it's a little fuzzy, but the start of the real violence was not Geth attacking Quarians, even after a few of them were destroyed. It was Quarians attacking other Quarians that were defending the Geth."

Shala's foundations were shaken to the core. All she could muster was, "Why didn't you present this?"

"I... a lot of reasons. Immediately afterwards, I had a Reaper to kill here, and then the rush towards London. I don't have a copy of the video, it was all in my head. Tali didn't think that it would be believed, especially without proof. And even if it was, the Quarians have contended themselves with the idea that the Geth have come around to peaceful coexistence. Knowing that the Exile was entirely their fault, didn't seem like it would have done any good."

Shala spoke up. "And having spent too much time in politics, I suppose I understand. But we Quarians are a family and sometimes families need the truth, even if it hurts. Gideon, do you have access to any of these recordings Joshua is talking about?"

"Searching... yes, downloading now." He played most of the same excerpts that Shepherd had seen before. The Quarians had actual faces and wearing clothes instead of suits this time and some of the structures were slightly different, apparently having been changed in mental translation.

Shala sat quietly to herself, pondering over what she had seen. Gideon broke the silence, "A new report is coming in. The constable transport carrying Gentoo'Rafta has received several shots from small-arms fire."

Joshua hadn't expected this. "Some of his supporters trying to get him out?"

"Unlikely. The shots have been primarily aimed at the rear of the vehicle. He is being targeted by some angry by his actions today... Quarian security forces are breaking off to apprehend the attackers."

A few minutes passed while Gideon continued to update them at the situation. As they arrived at Shala's office, next to the main Conclave meeting hall, he reported, "The shooters have been captured. One refused to give herself up, resulting in a fatality."

Shala sighed, "Keelah, this should never have happened. Joshua, please get Tali here immediately, we'll need her help."

He nodded and contacted her Omni-tool. "Joshua, I've seen reports of what is happening. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Shala and I are at her office, please come join us as soon as you can."

"Sure, I'll get Juana out and be over right away."

"This may not be pretty or short by the time it's done with."

"I know, but I don't have anyone to watch her either. I'd rather her be close to us until this blows over either way."

"Ok, we'll see you in a couple minutes."

Tali and Juana arrived half an hour later. Joshua met his family as they were exiting the shuttle, hugging both of them. Juana and her classmates hadn't been told all the details, but it was obvious all the adults were worried about something. They went inside Shala's office and sat down.

"Tali, I just finished with a conference with the Conclave speaker and the active Admirals. Daro is three mass relay jumps away at the moment, thank the ancestors." Her opinion of the Geth had changed much and having her on planet right now would have been a huge complication. "Given today's events, we're reactivating your position as special admiral on Geth relations, temporarily. You've been a very public figure, working with the Geth but also having fought them personally, both sides can respect you."

Tali nodded. "I'll do my best."

"We need to calm the situation down quickly, but obviously there are some long-term policies that need to be laid out so this is avoided in the future."

"I agree."

"I knew there would be pains, but didn't believe we could come to violence, Quarians shooting each other over this. Gideon showed me some recordings from the Morning War, similar to the ones Joshua mentioned to you previously. We should have known."

"Yes... we were wrong to not share it, at least with a few." Tali took a breath and paused for a moment, thinking. "Please tell the speaker that I wish to address the Conclave in a public meeting this evening. I'll have words that will hopefully help." She turned to Joshua, "And I think I will need the great Commander Shepherd as well."


End file.
